"Inkscape brings enjoyment and freedom of creativity"

Feb. 11, 2020, 8:31 p.m.

Congratulations to Bayu Rizaldhan Rayes, the winner of the Inkscape 1.0 About Screen Contest!

We recently caught up with Bayu, to ask him some questions about himself and his use of Inkscape.

Here is an interview with Bayu, conducted by Inkscape Contributor Tim Jones.

Tim: Please introduce yourself to the Inkscape Community; what is your name and where in the world do you live?

Bayu: Hello! my name is Bayu Rizaldhan Rayes. I’m from Indonesia.

Tim: When did you first discover Inkscape? Please explain how you came to use Inkscape.

Bayu: In my school days, I liked to play around with drawing apps to casually design something for fun. I tried several mainstream apps like Corel Draw, Macromedia Freehand and Flash. Then later, due to the affordability factor, I was looking for a free vector tool and discovered some options like Creature House Expression, Microsoft Expression Design, Serif Drawplus, Xara, and Inkscape.

I can’t recall exactly the first time I found Inkscape, probably while trying Linux. I installed Sodipodi, an earlier version of Inkscape. Based on my familiarity with previous apps, I had a certain expectation for a vector app, and I wasn't too impressed with Inkscape back then. For example, I could not figure out how to select and manipulate multiple nodes.

I kept trying it again across different newer versions and realized that it just kept getting better. Version 0.9x something was probably the first version I used regularly. It was surprisingly good, had most features I needed and so was comfortable to use. Inkscape even does some things easier and better than its commercial counterparts. For example, when you delete nodes, it still retains the shape of the path. I don’t think even Adobe Illustrator does this (without a paid plugin).

I love the user interface. It's simple, clean and logical. Even when you haven’t used it for a while, once you open it, you can quickly be productive with it. The bezier tool, paths manipulation, and gradients are my favorites.

Tim: Do you use Inkscape exclusively or do you use other software in your workflow?

Bayu: I almost exclusively use Inkscape at home for vector-related stuff. At work, as a web developer, I use Illustrator as well, since the designers use it (mainly because of tight integration with other Adobe apps).

For me, drawing in Inkscape seems easier and more comfortable. Furthermore, when it comes to dealing with Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), Inkscape is irreplaceable. It’s an app that is not just able to export to SVG, but to natively read & write in SVG. You can even inspect and directly manipulate the Document Object Model (DOM) tree like you usually do with development tools in the browser. So, it's a must-have tool for web dev workflow.

Tim: What motivated you to take part in the contest?

Bayu: As a user and fan, I love the idea that Inkscape lets the community get involved in the about screen design. Who doesn't want their design to be featured in Inkscape or on official websites? When I read the news about the contest, I decided to participate straight away. The fact that I eventually won is still amazing to me. Thanks very much, Inkscape community & team for the vote and support.

Tim: How did you come up with the idea for your winning design in this year's 1.0 About Screen Contest?

Bayu: The idea is simply based on the Inkscape logo and some of its main tools, because it’s the most Inkscape thing when I think about Inkscape :-D The logo was formed from a combination of random imaginative things. It ended up like a floating island on top of a giant spaceship. I know it’s weird, but it kind of represents the unlimited ideas you can generate from your imagination. Just like the slogan “Draw Freely”, Inkscape brings enjoyment and freedom of creativity.

The art style is largely inspired by web design and casual game illustrations and also a bit by isometric design.

Tim: Which feature or bug fix of the upcoming version are you looking forward to the most?

Bayu: That’s a huge list. Looking at them just reminds me of how big the Inkscape feature set is, which covers a lot of use cases. I am primarily interested in performance improvement & stability. And based on what I've tried in the current beta, I like duplicate guides. It’s so handy for isometric style. Canvas rotation & mirroring are great for drawing. I also love the dark theme & high-resolution support. I’m on Windows but I think macOS users must be happy with the native build that doesn't require XQuartz anymore.

Tim: If you could wave a magic wand, what one thing would you like to see in Inkscape?

Bayu: One thing? Hmm, perhaps I'd like to have a pencil tool that can redraw a path. It is very useful for tablet users and a feature that I envy most from Illustrator.

Tim: What would be your best advice to anyone wanting to use Inkscape in a creative way?

Bayu: Since Inkscape is a tool, I think the best advice (also for myself) is general advice to become good at anything: learn the basics, then practice, be patient and stay motivated. For beginners, don't feel overwhelmed by all the available tools. You can start with just a pen tool and build a stack of lines and shapes.

Inkscape has great official docs and learning materials. There are also a lot of Inkscape articles and videos you can follow - even if you find an interesting tutorial specific to other apps. Usually, you can apply a similar technique to Inkscape. The Official gallery is also a great source of learning. You can find awesome and technically challenging entries that you can download, open and learn.

If you find glitches, be patient and try to find a workaround in forums or community groups. Even other commercial apps are not perfect and crash sometimes. Inkscape is available in a wide range of desktop platforms: this is something! So, testing, contributions and bug reports from users are essential to improving its performance.

Lastly, some advice for those who have tried Inkscape before and have had a bad impression (or generally heard any bad stereotype about open-source art apps). Give it another chance and see if it works now for you and can suit your workflow, because Inkscape is actively being developed and keeps getting better.

I can't wait for version 1.0 and I hope it keeps growing and being successful. Thanks to the Inkscape teams and community for all the hard work that has made quality vector design accessible for everyone.

Thank you, Bayu, for answering our questions, and for being a fantastic member of the Inkscape Community!

To the rest of the Community, keep drawing, keep having fun and next time, it will be YOU answering questions like these.